Indian men have tricky Thomas cup draw, women an easier Uber

India women shuttlers were Sunday drawn in a relatively easy group in the Uber Cup that includes Thailand, Canada and Hong Kong while the men would find it much tougher having been slotted with Malaysia, South Korea and Germany for the Thomas Cup -- both tourneys being held in the country for the first time.

India qualified for the Thomas and Uber Cup finals, to be held May 18 to 25, after being entrusted to host the prestigious championships for the first time in their near 60-year history.

India has previously hosted the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup preliminary stage matches in 1988, 2000 and 2006.

The Thomas Cup (Men's World Team Championships) was first staged in 1948-49 while the Uber Cup (Women's World Team Championships) was added in 1956-57.

The Thomas Cup, held every three years initially, was the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) first major international tournament. The Uber Cup finals have been held alongside the men's competition since 1984 with both taking place biennially since then.

Thomas Cup groups:

Group A: Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria Singapore
Group B: Japan Denmark, Hong Kong England
Group C: India, Malaysia, South Korea, Germany
Group D: China, Russia France Chinese Taipei

Uber Cup groups:

Group A: China, Chinese Taipei, England, Russia
Group B: South Korea, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore
Group C: India, Thailand, Canada, Hong Kong
Group D: Japan, Denmark, Malaysia, Germany